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| Cameron Says Britain ‘Resolute’ After Attack | Cameron Says Britain ‘Resolute’ After Attack |
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| LONDON — A day after an attack on an off-duty British soldier by two knife-wielding assailants, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Thursday that Britain would be “absolutely resolute” in confronting terrorism and that extremist assaults would “only bring us together.” | LONDON — A day after an attack on an off-duty British soldier by two knife-wielding assailants, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Thursday that Britain would be “absolutely resolute” in confronting terrorism and that extremist assaults would “only bring us together.” |
| Mr. Cameron was speaking after leading the emergency Cobra committee, a group of cabinet ministers and high-level security officials that oversees the operations of police and security agencies during high security alerts. | Mr. Cameron was speaking after leading the emergency Cobra committee, a group of cabinet ministers and high-level security officials that oversees the operations of police and security agencies during high security alerts. |
| The attack raised new fears of terrorism when the soldier, walking near a military barracks in south London, was rammed by a car and then hacked to death. One of the men shouted “Allahu akbar,” or “God is great,” during the attack, government officials said. | The attack raised new fears of terrorism when the soldier, walking near a military barracks in south London, was rammed by a car and then hacked to death. One of the men shouted “Allahu akbar,” or “God is great,” during the attack, government officials said. |
| Police officers shot and wounded the suspects. | Police officers shot and wounded the suspects. |
| The British police said on Thursday that the victim, whose body was left in a road as one of his attackers gave an impromtpu interview to a passer-by, was a soldier. He was not identified by name. The police in Lincolnshire, 150 miles north of London, also said that a house had been searched in the town of Saxilby. | The British police said on Thursday that the victim, whose body was left in a road as one of his attackers gave an impromtpu interview to a passer-by, was a soldier. He was not identified by name. The police in Lincolnshire, 150 miles north of London, also said that a house had been searched in the town of Saxilby. |
| After the attack, the wounded suspects were taken to separate hospitals under police guard, one in serious condition. | After the attack, the wounded suspects were taken to separate hospitals under police guard, one in serious condition. |
| “The people who did this were trying to divide us,” Mr. Cameron told reporters outside his office and official residence at 10 Downing Street. “They should know something like this will only bring us together and make us stronger.” | “The people who did this were trying to divide us,” Mr. Cameron told reporters outside his office and official residence at 10 Downing Street. “They should know something like this will only bring us together and make us stronger.” |
| “This country will be absolutely resolute in its stand against violent extremism and terror. We will never give in to terror or terrorism in any of its forms,” he said. | “This country will be absolutely resolute in its stand against violent extremism and terror. We will never give in to terror or terrorism in any of its forms,” he said. |
| “This view is shared by every community in our country. This was not just an attack on Britain and on the British way of life; it was also a betrayal of Islam and of the Muslim communities who give so much to our country. | “This view is shared by every community in our country. This was not just an attack on Britain and on the British way of life; it was also a betrayal of Islam and of the Muslim communities who give so much to our country. |
| “There is nothing in Islam that justifies this truly dreadful act,” he said, urging Britons to respond to the attack by going about their normal lives. | “There is nothing in Islam that justifies this truly dreadful act,” he said, urging Britons to respond to the attack by going about their normal lives. |
| A statement on Thursday from the Defense Ministry said “a number of additional security measures had been put in place,” but it did not provide details. | A statement on Thursday from the Defense Ministry said “a number of additional security measures had been put in place,” but it did not provide details. |
| Mr. Cameron was traveling in Europe when the attack took place. | |
| “There are strong indications that it is a terrorist incident,” Mr. Cameron said. He interrupted his European tour to return to London on Wednesday night. | “There are strong indications that it is a terrorist incident,” Mr. Cameron said. He interrupted his European tour to return to London on Wednesday night. |
| ITV News showed a video taken with a cellphone at the scene in Woolwich in which a man who appeared to be in his 20s or early 30s holds a cleaver in one of his bloodied hands. He offers what seems to be a political message before the police arrive. | ITV News showed a video taken with a cellphone at the scene in Woolwich in which a man who appeared to be in his 20s or early 30s holds a cleaver in one of his bloodied hands. He offers what seems to be a political message before the police arrive. |
| “I apologize that women had to see this today, but in our lands women have to see the same thing,” he says. “You people will never be safe. Remove your governments! They don’t care about you.” | “I apologize that women had to see this today, but in our lands women have to see the same thing,” he says. “You people will never be safe. Remove your governments! They don’t care about you.” |
| He then refers to what appears to be a motive for the attack, saying it was carried out “because of what’s going on in our own countries.” | He then refers to what appears to be a motive for the attack, saying it was carried out “because of what’s going on in our own countries.” |
| Mayor Boris Johnson of London rejected the argument, saying it was wrong to link the killing with British foreign policy or the actions of Britain’s military, which has been closely allied with the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq. | Mayor Boris Johnson of London rejected the argument, saying it was wrong to link the killing with British foreign policy or the actions of Britain’s military, which has been closely allied with the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq. |
| “The fault lies wholly and exclusively in the warped and deluded mindset of the people who did it,” he said. | “The fault lies wholly and exclusively in the warped and deluded mindset of the people who did it,” he said. |
| The BBC reported Wednesday night that British security officials had identified at least one of the two suspects as having family origins in Nigeria. British media reports on Thursday said the men were not apparently linked to the Boko Haram militants in Nigeria, who are believed to have ties to Al Qaeda. | The BBC reported Wednesday night that British security officials had identified at least one of the two suspects as having family origins in Nigeria. British media reports on Thursday said the men were not apparently linked to the Boko Haram militants in Nigeria, who are believed to have ties to Al Qaeda. |
| Organizations representing Britain’s 2.5 million Muslims were quick to condemn the attack. “No cause justifies this murder,” the Muslim Council of Britain said in a statement on behalf of the network of mosques, schools and charities it represents. It described the killing in Woolwich as “a barbaric act that has no basis in Islam,” and added that the “vast majority of British Muslims acknowledge the armed forces for the work they do.” | Organizations representing Britain’s 2.5 million Muslims were quick to condemn the attack. “No cause justifies this murder,” the Muslim Council of Britain said in a statement on behalf of the network of mosques, schools and charities it represents. It described the killing in Woolwich as “a barbaric act that has no basis in Islam,” and added that the “vast majority of British Muslims acknowledge the armed forces for the work they do.” |
| The assault took place near a busy junction a short walk from the London headquarters of the Royal Artillery, a unit that has deployed soldiers, including tank units, to Iraq and Afghanistan. A primary school is nearby and witnesses said some of those who had seen the attack were parents and children returning home. | The assault took place near a busy junction a short walk from the London headquarters of the Royal Artillery, a unit that has deployed soldiers, including tank units, to Iraq and Afghanistan. A primary school is nearby and witnesses said some of those who had seen the attack were parents and children returning home. |
| A small blue car — apparently the vehicle used to ram the victim — appeared to have hit a telephone pole after mounting the sidewalk. Photographs and television footage from the scene showed extensive damage to the car’s hood and windshield. | A small blue car — apparently the vehicle used to ram the victim — appeared to have hit a telephone pole after mounting the sidewalk. Photographs and television footage from the scene showed extensive damage to the car’s hood and windshield. |
| Witnesses said two men had gotten out and attacked the prone victim with large bladed weapons. Some said the men had beheaded him. | Witnesses said two men had gotten out and attacked the prone victim with large bladed weapons. Some said the men had beheaded him. |
| A number said the victim was wearing a T-shirt labeled with the words Help for Heroes, the name of a charity that supports some of the thousands of British military personnel who have returned wounded from Afghanistan and Iraq and the families of the more than 600 servicemen and women who have been killed in those conflicts. | A number said the victim was wearing a T-shirt labeled with the words Help for Heroes, the name of a charity that supports some of the thousands of British military personnel who have returned wounded from Afghanistan and Iraq and the families of the more than 600 servicemen and women who have been killed in those conflicts. |
| A man who said he had seen the entire attack told the BBC that the assailants had lingered at the scene, talking to passers-by about what they had done. | A man who said he had seen the entire attack told the BBC that the assailants had lingered at the scene, talking to passers-by about what they had done. |
| Some witnesses said a man had leapt from an unmarked car and aimed a handgun at the assailants, shouting to pedestrians to clear the area. | Some witnesses said a man had leapt from an unmarked car and aimed a handgun at the assailants, shouting to pedestrians to clear the area. |
| The witness who said he had seen the attack said a policewoman with a handgun fired at the two suspects after one of them rushed toward a group of police officers. | The witness who said he had seen the attack said a policewoman with a handgun fired at the two suspects after one of them rushed toward a group of police officers. |
| Britain has suffered more than any other country in northern Europe from Islamic terrorist plots in recent years, and it has worked assiduously to prevent more. Security officials have said that at any given time they are tracking hundreds of young men in extremist networks. | Britain has suffered more than any other country in northern Europe from Islamic terrorist plots in recent years, and it has worked assiduously to prevent more. Security officials have said that at any given time they are tracking hundreds of young men in extremist networks. |
| But small-scale attacks can be hard to detect. The SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadi Web sites, distributed a posting from one on Wednesday after the London killing. Dating from July 2011, the message on Shumukh al-Islam, a militant Web site that has been linked to Al Qaeda, urges followers to mount “lone-wolf operations” that might include beheadings. | But small-scale attacks can be hard to detect. The SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadi Web sites, distributed a posting from one on Wednesday after the London killing. Dating from July 2011, the message on Shumukh al-Islam, a militant Web site that has been linked to Al Qaeda, urges followers to mount “lone-wolf operations” that might include beheadings. |
John F. Burns reported from London and Alan Cowell from Paris. Stephen Castle contributed reporting from London. | John F. Burns reported from London and Alan Cowell from Paris. Stephen Castle contributed reporting from London. |